Luc Besson took a massive gamble. Honestly, calling it a gamble feels like an understatement. He spent roughly $200 million—mostly independent money—to bring a French comic book from his childhood to the big screen. When people search for valerian and the city of 1000 planets full movie, they’re usually looking for one of two things: a wild visual ride or an explanation for why a movie that looks this good didn't become the next Star Wars.
It’s a strange beast.
The film dropped in 2017 and immediately polarized everyone. Critics praised the world-building but some absolutely hated the lead performances. Audiences were confused. Yet, years later, it’s a constant staple on streaming services because, frankly, there isn't another movie that looks quite like it. It’s dense. It’s loud. It’s incredibly French.
The Big Budget Risk Nobody Talks About Anymore
Most blockbusters today are sanitized by committee. You know the vibe—Marvel movies often have that same "gray" color grading, and every joke feels like it was tested by a focus group. Valerian is the opposite of that. Besson, the mind behind The Fifth Element, wanted to capture the DNA of the Valérian and Laureline comics by Pierre Christin and Jean-Claude Mézières.
He waited decades. He literally waited for technology to catch up to his imagination.
The production was a logistical nightmare. To fund it, Besson’s studio, EuropaCorp, had to sell off distribution rights territory by territory before a single frame was even shot. It’s a business model that rarely happens at this scale. When you watch the valerian and the city of 1000 planets full movie, you aren't just watching a sci-fi flick; you’re watching the most expensive independent film ever made. That's a huge distinction. If it failed, it wasn't just a bad weekend for a studio; it was an existential threat to an entire production house.
The Opening Scene is Perfection
Seriously. The first five minutes? Masterclass.
Set to David Bowie’s "Space Oddity," we see the history of Alpha—the titular City of a Thousand Planets. It starts with the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975 and fast-forwards through centuries of humans meeting various alien species. Each new handshake represents a leap in technology and empathy. It’s optimistic. It’s beautiful. By the time the space station gets too big for Earth’s orbit and is pushed into deep space, you’re fully invested in this utopia.
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Then the actual plot starts, and things get... complicated.
Why the Casting of Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne Still Causes Debates
This is where the movie usually loses people. Valerian and Laureline are supposed to be seasoned space operatives. They’re basically intergalactic cops with a long history.
Dane DeHaan plays Valerian with a sort of Keanu Reeves-esque "whoa" energy mixed with a playboy persona that doesn't always land. Cara Delevingne, as Laureline, often feels like the actual protagonist. She’s smarter, more capable, and less prone to ego trips.
The chemistry? It's polarizing. Some viewers find their bickering charming, reminiscent of 1940s screwball comedies. Others find it wooden.
"I wanted to make a film where the heroes weren't superheroes," Besson told Wired during the press tour. "They are just humans in an extraordinary environment."
But here’s the thing: in a movie where every five minutes you see a new, mind-blowing alien species, maybe "regular" humans were always going to feel a bit flat. The real stars are the environments. The Big Market sequence, for instance, is a technical marvel. It takes place in two dimensions simultaneously. The characters have to wear special goggles to see the marketplace while they’re actually standing in a desert. It’s the kind of high-concept sci-fi that makes the valerian and the city of 1000 planets full movie worth a re-watch, even if you mute the dialogue.
The VFX Legacy and the Pearl People
The visual effects were handled by Weta Digital and ILM. That’s like having the Beatles and the Rolling Stones work on the same album. The result is a level of detail that puts most modern CGI to shame.
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Take the Mül people—the "Pearls." They are tall, iridescent humanoids who live on a beach planet that looks like a dream. The motion capture used to bring them to life was groundbreaking at the time. Their movements are fluid, almost liquid. When their world is destroyed in the film’s inciting incident, you actually feel the loss because the design is so tangible.
But visual splendor doesn't always equal box office gold. The movie grossed about $225 million worldwide. In the world of $200 million budgets, that’s a massive loss once you factor in marketing.
Why did it stumble?
- Brand Recognition: Outside of France, Valérian and Laureline wasn't a household name.
- The "Avatar" Shadow: People saw the blue-ish aliens and thought it was a rip-off, even though the Valerian comics actually inspired many of the designs in Star Wars and Avatar.
- The Dialogue: Luc Besson writes in English, but his soul is French. Sometimes the idioms and the pacing of the jokes feel slightly "off" to an American ear.
How to Actually Watch Valerian and the City of 1000 Planets Today
If you’re looking for the valerian and the city of 1000 planets full movie, it’s widely available on VOD and often rotates through Prime Video or Tubi. But honestly? Don't watch it on your phone. This is one of those rare films where the resolution matters.
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray is widely considered a reference-quality disc for home theater enthusiasts. The Dolby Atmos track is incredible, and the HDR makes the neon colors of the "City of a Thousand Planets" pop in a way that standard streaming bitrates just can't handle.
The Rihanna Factor
We have to talk about Bubble. Rihanna plays a shape-shifting entertainer in one of the film’s most surreal sequences. It’s a five-minute performance that is basically a high-budget music video embedded in a sci-fi epic. Does it move the plot forward? Barely. Is it cool? Absolutely.
That’s the essence of the movie. It’s a collection of "cool stuff" that doesn't always fit into a tight narrative structure. It’s sprawling. It’s messy. It’s a vision.
The Enduring Cult Status
Most "flops" disappear. They vanish into the depths of the bargain bin. But Valerian has stayed in the conversation. Sci-fi fans have come to appreciate its boldness. In an era of sequels and reboots, a standalone, big-budget, weird-as-hell space opera is a rare gem.
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The movie deals with heavy themes—genocide, government cover-ups, and the refugee crisis—all wrapped in a candy-colored shell. The Pearl people are essentially a displaced nation looking for a home. That message resonates more now than it did in 2017.
It's sorta like Blade Runner in that way. No, it’s not as "cool" as Blade Runner, but it’s a film that people keep coming back to because they realize they didn't appreciate the craftsmanship the first time around. You’ve got to admire the sheer gall it took to make this.
Actionable Takeaways for the Ultimate Viewing Experience
If you're diving into the valerian and the city of 1000 planets full movie for the first time—or the fifth—here’s how to get the most out of it:
- Prioritize the 4K version: The color palette is the strongest part of the film. Standard definition does it a massive disservice.
- Look for the Star Wars "Influences": Keep an eye out for the ships and creatures. You’ll see where George Lucas likely got his inspiration for the Millennium Falcon’s interior and various alien designs. The comics came out years before A New Hope.
- Ignore the Romance: Focus on the world-building instead. The relationship between Valerian and Laureline is the weakest link; the relationship between the different alien races and the environment of Alpha is the real story.
- Check out the "Making Of" docs: If you get the physical disc, the behind-the-scenes footage of the Big Market sequence is a masterclass in modern filmmaking and production design.
Ultimately, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a reminder that cinema should be an experience. It’s not always about a perfect script. Sometimes, it’s about being transported to a place you could never have imagined yourself. It’s flawed, it’s beautiful, and it’s undeniably Besson.
If you want to understand why visual storytelling still matters in the age of AI and CGI shortcuts, just watch the first ten minutes of this movie. That's all the proof you'll need.
Next Steps for Enthusiasts:
- Compare the film to the original French graphic novels by Christin and Mézières to see how much of the "look" was pulled directly from the page.
- Research the "Big Market" filming process to understand how Besson used hundreds of film students as "placeholders" during the complex shoot.
- Listen to the soundtrack by Alexandre Desplat, which uses a full orchestra to capture the 70s space-opera vibe.
The movie isn't just a film; it's a testament to what happens when an artist gets a blank check and a childhood dream. Whether it "works" is up to you, but you can't say it's boring.